Samajwadi party has nominated Suman Ojha, daughter-in-law of former minister Janadhan Ojha, to contest the Paniyara assembly seat for 2017 UP assembly elections. In the Lok Sabha elections in 2014, the Paniyara assembly constituency had given the BJP candidate Pankaj a lead of 66267 votes over his nearest BSP rival Kashi Nath Shukla.